Color of wood

Few colors on earth are more soothingly beautiful than the varying tones of natural wood. Properly finished, natural wood shares its subtle and calming beauty forever – in home, office or hotel.

Perceiving color: a caveat

Many variables affect our perception of color. Images on this or any website (or on printed materials) can only approximate the actual color of the products. The reasons are technical. What’s important is that we recognize the limitations of these images. Natural wood, within a species and within a single tree has a wide variation of tone. As discussed below, wood also changes color over time.

Older and prettier

Wood Castle’s fine hardwood furniture is typically constructed of cherry or maple (though oak, walnut and other species are occasionally used). Finished with clear or lightly tinted lacquers, hardwoods are prone to the process of color “aging,” a phenomenon that occasions a more or less significant shift in the wood’s color. Light (especially sunlight) is the trigger, causing chemical – and color – changes in cells of wood over time.

Hints of burgundy, shades of honey

Unstained, clear-coated cherry color-ages significantly. In a few months of moderate light exposure (near a window, say), a newly purchased cherry chest will turn from almost a warm blonde color to a cinnamon-burgundy tone. Our Oregon (Big Leaf) maple is less dramatic: from light oat-blonde, it turns to honey-gold over time.

Avoiding tan lines

Color aging, much like skin tanning, is a natural process affecting the surface cells of all woods. Occasionally moving objects (lamps, say) atop furniture helps assure that the entire surface “tans” evenly. No worry if an object sits too long, however, since the lighter spot where the object sat ultimately catches up to the surrounding wood’s color.